I'M IN NIHON!

I'M IN NIHON.  日本にいます。私はBASICALLY日本人ですよ！ Ha, that's a joke.  I don't understand a word these people say.  And by a word, I mean 98% of the words they say.  Cuz I actually understand a whopping 1.6%.  Approximately.  I would assume. (That last statistic was rounded to make me look smart.)  

Where do I begin... well, to quote someone who's practically perfect

in every way, "Let's start at the very beginning."  AKA, the MTC.

Those last few days were crazy.  I got so stoked to teach in Japan after all the training conferences and such.  But the night before we left was really emotional.  Chinain Shimai was bawling at the prospect of not seeing us all for the duration of our missions, so Moore Shimai started bawling too, which left Sister Riggs to sit uncomfortably between them while all the Elders kinda just scratched their heads and offered handshakes.  HA!  Story of our district's lives (;  OH, but then, our Kohai (which is what I've been calling the younger group of missionaries that we "raised,") asked if they could come into our tiny room, and so all 25 of em crammed in and sang Aloha O’e, lead by a Hawaiian Elder.  Yeah, talk about technical difficulties with the water works.  Hugging all of the Elders and shaking the hands of all the Sisters was like... "Man.  This is super sad.  But we've only known each other for 3 weeks, why do you even love us so much?"

I came to realize after each of them expressed deep gratitude--and I had reflected on the actually really small number of things we've done for them--that what people remember most about you is your kindness.  We were always nice to our Kohai and treated them with so much love.  Before they came, we had a leadership conference (Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders,) during which the comment was made, "We don't need to be their friends quite as much as good role-models."  Pf, nope.  Luckily, when we saw their cute faces we crumbled and became their best friends.  What improved them the most as missionaries was our love.  It just made me think about how Christ, the greatest leader and man to ever live, treated those who had great need of his Atonement with amazing love.  That's how you change lives.  Not by imposing authority.  By love.

Anyway, after those tears were shed, Elder Liechty and Elder Burnham

visited me in my room just before bed!!  It was so fun to say a last goodbye to them for some time.  Liechty Chourou brought a bunch of Reece's cups and we did a cheers to being the best missionaries ever!  I took some pictures, but all on my small camera which can no longer transfer pictures cuz I don't have a  computer, so... from now on, everything's gonna be taken on my iPad d:

SO THEN.  Next thing I knew I was in Japan!!!  The airplane ride was all I hoped it would be.  I got to sit at the window seat and I watched the clouds and ocean tons :3 It was beautiful.  I love the sky.  I'm pretty sure God just wanted to be really nice to me, because after an insanely long flight, the GPS on my screen read "15 minutes to destination," and as I looked outside, the empty sky suddenly became filled with massive puffy clouds on every level of open air between me and the water.  Then the sun appeared just as it was getting ready to set and the whole scene was bathed in a celestial gold with spears of light streaking through the endless sea of mountainous clouds AND THEN a few clouds cleared up below me, and I saw two fishing boats below.  And then the tail of an island.  I watched Japan come into view and my eyes didn't leave it for the next 15 minutes.  This place is gorgeous.  After we landed, I felt the humidity (I've been drenched in sweat since that day.) We met President Nagano who is HILARIOUS and went strait to our bus after transferring money.  I said goodbye to all the missionaries headed to other areas )':

The whole ride to our mission home I was completely mesmerized.  If you know me well enough to be reading this email (so like, every person who's ever met me,) you should know me well enough to say that I'm obsessed with Japan.  And it did not dissapoint.  In fact, I've never known what to expect when I finally reach my favorite island in the world, but... culture shock is an extremely weak term to use for it.

Some people will say that the worst feeling in travel is feeling like the place you've always dreamed of going was a let down.  I disagree. I'd say one of the worst feelings in this world is when your dream place is everything you wanted and so much more that you get a headache and start feeling woozy and forget the little Japanese you knew and can't decide whether you're in heaven or just need to barf really bad and... well, you know the expression, "You'da thought he'd died and gone to heaven!" Well, no expression has ever more accurately described me.  And in this moment, I felt like my death had gone down something like: A secret agent Platypus deflected a laser from a mad scientist which hit a roller coaster being built by two elementary school kids which crashed through a city (barely out of sight of their mother who would be very worried if she ever figured out how intelligent her children were,) and picked me up, lifted me into a volcano, and then caused the same volcano, which just so happened to be Yellowstone, to erupt immediately.  If you didn't catch any of those references, suffice it to say, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

BUT I LOVE IT.  I'm still getting over the feeling of being overwhelmed every time I get to drink out of a Japanese drinking fountain or talk to an overly genki store clerk, and am starting to be able to enjoy myself.  But the work is hard.  I got my companion who I love dearly, and we went strait to the eki (train station) and took a bunch of transfers to our apartment, then I got to help at an Eikaiwa (English class.) For dinner, we had... bread.  Yeah, missionaries live the high life.  (Just under kings and college

students.)

There's so much I want to tell you, but I'm running low on time!!!  Here's what I can get down!

I'm in Narita!!!  The airport I landed at is right next to our apartment. (: Its a super hilly area.  Like, everywhere we go is a workout followed by a joyride.  My companion's name is Hibino Chourou.  He speaks about as much English as a Buddhist monk with Google translate.  But man, he's the funniest person I've ever met.  In fact... every day, ALL THE TIME people try to speak English to me and . . . well, confession time: the funniest thing in the world to me is Engrish.  And that's all Hibino speaks.  I have to keep myself from laughing super hard every hour of every day.  It’s actually really nice, because otherwise I'd be getting SO FRUSTRATED.  Actually, I still do get pretty frustrated.  Like all the time.  But I love the people, and they feel that, and so I think most of them like me too.  Once again, it all comes back to love (:  (After a 3 hour church service in which I understood nothing... well, I bore a 3 minute testimony and everyone thanked me after the meeting, so it was good after the headaches died down. ;)  

-Whenever something does not go our way, my Doryo (companion,) yells, "Aww, Deinyet!" [Aw dang it!]

 -Every Time we pass people on the street that might be interested in our free English class he says, "Oi!  Do yew rike Engrish??"

-We were contacted an Elderly person over the phone, and sweet Hibino

Chourou, assuming the man was completely deaf just screamed as loud as he could, "Konnichiwa, Hibino Chourou!  HIBINO CHOUROU.  HIBINO

CHOUROU DESU!!!!!!!!  Hai.  Genki?  GENKI!?" Then after the conversation he explained himself, "Oh, sori!  Bery bery old people."

So, serious tender mercy.  Yesterday at Church I was introducing myself to some people and mentioned that both of my grandparents were mission presidents.  After the meeting, we were walking out when a group of women came up to me and one said, "Your grandfather was dendobu Kaichou?" and I nodded.  She looked disbelieving and asked, "Stouto Chourou... was his name Austin?" I nodded, "AUSTIN?  Shauna Austin is your mother??" I nodded with a short and excited, "Hai!"  She threw out her arms to give me a hug but stopped herself and just stood there gaping at me.  I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there, and then she exploded into tears.  Not just a few.  She covered her face and began waling loudly.  I was taken back until she stammered, "Shauna Austin was my doryo!  She was the kindest woman I ever met!" and then I kinda started crying too... The woman said her name was Sugimoto, but before marriage it was Masago Shimai.  She's been trying to contact you since you and dad got married and hasn't been able to get ahold of you.  I gave her your email.  It was super emotional for everyone around us.  She couldn't stop crying for nearly 10 minutes.  Then all of the members began telling me in broken Japanese, "You are celebrated!" I think they mean I'm a celebrity. Mama, you and grandpa made a big difference here.  I hope you can speak to her soon! (:

One more quick story!!  I'm teaching a man who has problems with the word of wisdom.  Suffice it to say that he and his wife are living in very humble circumstances.  We got a chance to take them to play tennis, and while Hibino (who is SUPER good at tennis) and this brother were playing together, I began talking to his wife as best I could.  She told me her "shumi" or "hobby" was music and she loved Sanbika.  Hymns.  WHAT?  She's a nonmember!!  I still can't understand enough to know how, but she started singing Come, Come, Ye Saints but couldn't finish it, so I sang it for her.  That sounds awkward, but in Japanese culture, random outbursts of song are a little closer to the Disney Department. (; Anyway, the spirit suddenly became really strong and she solemnly thanked me.  Her husband at church the next day, (though still adamant about his position of, "Ai cannort berieve da waado ofu wisudomu.") thanked me a lot and said it meant so much to her that I cared enough to be so kind. (This is a picture of the tie he gave me.)

These people are so humble and gracious.  I love this land!!  Every second I feel like I'm in a dream!  I rode by a matsuri and then into super hilly and forested rice paddy fields on a long bike-ride to one investigators house.... and that's just NORMAL here!  It's so different, but I love every difference.

Thanks so much everyone for your emails! (: I hope you'll forgive me, I don't have time to respond to any of them cuz this message is massive, but Megan and Rachel and Mark, your messages were awesome!! Please keep sending pictures (: Tell Lylah I miss her too and love her so much!!!!  Also, that Photo shoot of Yuki was hysterical (;  My favorite picture might have been the one of dad and Lylah though (:

AISHTTEIMASU YO!!!! I miss you all so much, I'll write again next week!!  Talk to you soon!!!

Elder Stout

I laughed so hard when I saw these in a vending machine.  Christmas presents?